


The Secret Garden

by DarkJediQueen



Series: The Guardians [20]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Crossover, Death, Genocide, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, M/M, Science Fantasy, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-29 15:00:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15731793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: It was the last thing they wanted to do but the one thing that they needed to do, infiltrate The Black Garden.





	The Secret Garden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rivermoon1970](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivermoon1970/gifts).



> **Year** : The Far Future
> 
>  **Spoilers** : Destiny: Through D2: Warmind, Criminal Minds: Up Through Season 13
> 
>  **Notes** : Trying my hardest to make sure that it'll make sense, with time, for people who don't play Destiny but you can find more information at the [Destiny Wikia](http://destiny.wikia.com/wiki/Destiny_Wiki).
> 
>  **Warnings** : Graphic Depictions of Violence, Death, War, Genocide
> 
>  **Beta** : Grammarly

Spencer tried to roll over in bed but found himself trapped. He could feel Aaron's warmth all along him so he knew it was why he couldn't move. Spencer wasn't sure what had woken him up, but he found that as he laid there, he figured it out. Aaron was kissing his back, pressing one to every knob on Spencer's spine as he worked his way down his body. After research and planning, they had hopped into the cleaning unit on the ship, which wasn't as good as the shower in their room in the Tower but it was better than the cleaning wipes that Guardians used when on missions. Spencer understood the reasoning behind his siblings putting the unit into the ship, no one wanted to be stuck on a ship and smell each other. However, it was the sonic part that took some getting used to. NOt feeling water over skin but then when one was stuck in space, they had to make do with less water.

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked, his tone was rough with sleep and not a little amount of arousal. While his mind might not have caught up to what was going on, his body sure had. He could feel his arousal throbbing against the bed, telling him that Aaron had been fondling his body a great deal before he had fully woken up. 

"If you don't know what I am doing then I'm doing something wrong," Aaron uttered against Spencer's back.

"Smartass," Spencer said, and he finally pushed up at his body and rolled onto his back. Aaron easily lifted up to allow him, and when Spencer was settled on his back, Aaron held himself up on one arm and spread Spencer's knees before settling between his legs. They were both already naked as they saw no sense in getting dressed. 

Aaron lowered himself to where he was on know elbows his face hovering above Spencer's. Spencer wrapped his arms around Aaron and tried to pull him into a kiss. Aaron was having none of it. Spencer pouted at him. 

"No one has ever come out of the Black Garden, Spencer. The Vex are a threat that we can't ignore. We can't just go on with life. So I want one good strong memory of us to get me through what's coming."

"Just in case?" Spencer asked. Aaron nodded. 

Aaron swallowed hard like he was scared of breaking in front of Spencer. Spencer shifted and tilted his hips up before letting go of Aaron to cup his cheeks and hold his face right where Spencer wanted it. 

"Make love to me, Aaron." Spencer pushed his head up and kissed Aaron. It was soft and gentle. 

Spencer lost time as they kissed and touched. Spencer touched all over Aaron, only pulling his mouth away from his lover when Aaron's fingers inside of him made Spencer gasp. Aaron had never prepared Spencer so thoroughly or so gently before. It was like he was worshipping Spencer body with it. The tears started as Aaron breached Spencer's body with his cock. Slow and gentle and with so much love that Spencer couldn't help but cry. To stop himself from looking like an idiot, Spencer grabbed Aaron's head and crushed their mouths together. Aaron slowed the kiss down as he started to thrust inside of Spencer. It was heaven, and it was hell because it could be the last time that they ever did this. 

Time lost meaning as they thrust together. Spencer didn't count breaths or heartbeats or anything really. It was heady and so unlike anything they had ever done before. Spencer came first, his body shocking him with orgasm. Aaron's rhythm didn't change, and he kept on chasing his own orgasm as he thrust inside of Spencer. It was perfect, so perfect that Spencer just held Aaron to him as he thrust. 

"I want no life without you," Spencer said as Aaron came. Aaron crashed their mouths together again. Leaving Spencer with every indication that Aaron felt the same way. Spencer held onto the back of Aaron's head to keep him there as they kissed. Spencer didn't want to lose this, and he was going to fight like hell to make sure that he didn't. 

"Spencer," Aaron said laying his head on Spencer's forehead. 

"Don't say it, Aaron," Spence warned. He could tell by the tone of Aaron's voice and the way his hand was clutching at Spencer's arm that he was going to say something that Spencer didn't want to hear. 

"Spencer, please."

Spencer shoved at Aaron. He didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to think about it. Aaron grabbed his hands and pinned them down to the bed. He forced Spencer to look at him because Spencer couldn't close his eyes to not look at him. 

"Don't," Spencer begged. 

"You promise me that if I fall, you will go on. You have to finish this mission, Spencer. No matter the cost."

"Don't make me promise that," Spencer said. 

"You have your siblings. You can go to them. Let the Vanguard think you died in the Garden and become a Sov. GARCIA would hate it, but she would adjust. I don't care about what happens to be, but I can't stand the thought of you lying down and dying with me."

"I can't promise that, Aaron. I can't. You fill a hole inside of me that I never knew was there. Don't make me promise that."

"They lost you once. I can't be the reason that they lose you again."

"I-" Spencer stopped because he felt the tears rolling down his face. He frowned and wanted to lash out but he couldn't. "I can only promise that I'll try."

"Not looking!" GARCIA said from the doorway. "But we have to go!" 

"Give us a few. Make sure you have everything packed that we need and possibly would need." Aaron looked where GARCIA was floating backward so that she couldn't see them. "Ready?"

"Yes."

* * *

"I don't think that we will get a second chance at this," Spencer said. He looked at Aaron as Aaron checked over his gun. The sun was already warm on the planet, and it was looking to be a warm one. Aaron took the safety off of his gun and settled it against his body. He looked at Spencer. 

"If not, the whole of the Vex army will invade and seize our worlds." 

"We pull this off, and we can save the Traveler." GARCIA bobbed in front of their faces for a few seconds before both of them disappeared. 

"How long do we have on the charge on the Eye?" Aaron asked.

"Unknown. It's not something that I can actually track, even with GARCIA's scanners."

Spencer looked around the area where they were. They were close to the Valley of the Kings. As close as GARCIA dared to get them. It was still a little closer than Spencer would have like to jump, but thankfully there was no Cabal around. 

"The Vex are going to do everything that they can to keep us out," Aaron said. He sighed once and looked at Spencer before reaching out and pushing their helmeted heads together. 

The Vex were waiting for them. Hobgoblins, two Minotaurs, and a Hydra were guarding the Gate. 

"How do you want to do it?"

"We have more ammo for the Scout Rifles than anything else so let's save the Sniper ammo for later. You still have your sword, and while we haven't used it, it'll do just fine against Vex. So let's do that."

Aaron settled in where he could duck in and behind the rocks when needed. Aaron laid down enough cover fire to drop the shield on one of the Minotaurs and Spencer took off running him. Beheading a Hobgoblin as he ran past him. A grenade at the feet of the Minotaur before Spencer got to him and a few swipes at tubes that carried the radiolarian fluid that filled their veins and it was down on its knees. Spencer shoved the sword into its gut, killing it. Aaron was working on the second Minotaur and had its shield gone by the time that Spencer reached him. 

The Hydra was next, and Spencer played hide and seek with it in the rocks as Aaron worked on it as it's shield rotated. Spencer still thought that the shield was one of the more stupid things that he had ever see. He wasn't sure why the Vex hadn't just made a shield that would allow them to shot out of it instead of having breaks in the shelf that could be fired out of it. The fact that from above could be shot out as well was a design flaw. 

As soon as the Hydra fell with a shot from Aaron's Scout Rifle, the Gate started to flash. There was blackness coming from all around the edge. 

"I HOPE THIS WORKS!" GARCIA yelled as the Gate started to make a noise. 

Spencer wasn't sure what was happening but as the Gate opened the world started to bend and stretch in ways that it should not. Spencer looked back at Aaron and waved toward the Gate. Aaron waved him forward. Spencer took off at a run toward the Gate. The light got brighter and brighter as Spencer got closer and then he felt something over his body that he never had before. It was like he was being unmade and remade in a very unnatural way. 

There was blackness all around them as they appeared in a different place. 

"Where are we?" Aaron asked. 

"If this is the Black Garden, it's not on any map of known space and time. I guess we just keep going." 

In front of them was a large circular opening. Spencer started for it. He stopped, and Aaron almost ran into him. In front of Spencer was a Vex. He raised his Scout Rifle and fired at it. Nothing happened. Spencer looked at his tracker to see that it wasn't red. It was a statue of some kind. Spencer took his time walking up to the Vex. It was a perfect replica. He stopped looking when he saw that there was radiolarian fluid running through its veins. It as in fact alive Vex but frozen. 

Spencer looked a lot of the Vex as they walked deeper into the area. There were moss and other various plant life that grew from many of them. 

"Stasis?" Aaron asked.

"I think so." Spencer pushed at one with his gun, and it didn't move. He started forward again. It was hall after hall of the living machines that didn't attack. Spencer didn't trust it though. He wanted to get where they were going before all of the Goblins that they passed came to life to try and kill them. 

"This is Meridian Bay, we are still on Mars just...something else as well," GARCIA said. 

"Shush," Aaron said. 

Spencer stopped moving, and he stopped doing anything and then he heard it. The sound of Vex jumping in. Spencer raised his gun as he turned the corner. There was red on his tracker in front of him. Spencer looked at each of the Goblins that lined the hall and just as he figured out which were alive and which were asleep, they attacked. Spencer moved to the right to give Aaron the left side. Four Goblins dropped quickly, but the Harpies at the other end were a little harder to kill. They kept on dodging but finally, Aaron and Spencer killed them. 

The Minotaur shot a few times at them before going back around the corner at the other end of the hall. It was trying to draw them to it, probably for an ambush. Spencer settled in to wait it out because it was going to come. A few seconds later it popped back out, and Spencer started to fire again. Aaron added his, and the shield on it was dropped in seconds. A few more shots to its juicebox each, and it was dead.

Around that corner was another set of Goblins and Harpies. A Minotaur peeked around the corner at them. After getting rid of them, Spencer led them to a large open area that had red skirting the edges of their trackers. He tried not to react too much to the spawning in of more enemies, but it was hard. They were where they needed to be and doing anything stupid would not help them at all. 

"They are slowing us down," Aaron said. 

"I agree, but there is little that we can do. We can only keep going." 

At least a dozen Harpies spawned in to fight them. There were too many open places, and a few tried to get around behind them. However, Aaron and Spencer were good at protecting each other. Getting their backs to corners, they both kept firing at the Harpies, hitting their eyes to take them out quicker. A blast rocked Spencer's shield dropping it, and he looked around to see a Minotaur facing them. Spencer focused on him, getting his shield down as he dodged the next blasts from the large Vex machine. 

Through the very open room and into another hallway on the other side, Spencer came around a corner and surprised a few Goblins. Spencer wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that the Vex thought that a few Harpies and a Minotaur would either kill them or slow them down more than they did. Another Minotaur waited on them past the Goblins. 

Spencer was getting sick of long hallways that dropped them into areas with Vex all around, but as there was no other way to go, they had to keep going down long dark hallways with things that wanted to kill them on the other end. Spencer turned a corner, and he felt a little dread washing over him. He waited for Aaron to come up to stand beside him. There was light, a pale green light that told Spencer that the room they were facing was very open on the other side of it. Open meant snipers. There were a lot of places for Vex to spawn in and try and kill them but Spencer started to take a few steps. Aaron would stay on the outer area until Spencer made it through. 

As Spencer made his way through the area, red skirted the right edge of his track, but the wall had no way through so whatever Vex were waiting on them was on the other side of the wall. Spencer settled in at the edge where he could cover Aaron's run across the hall. That made it easier. Spencer went slowly to make sure the danger couldn't shock him, but as Spencer made it across, Aaron felt better around running it seemed. Together they made their way up the long and steep steps. 

The sight that greeted them on the other side was breathtaking. 

"Well at least we know why it's called a garden now," Spencer said. 

"Yes," Aaron said back. His tone was filled with wonder as he took in the vast area in front of them. There was a massive stone plateau in the distance and what looked like garden paths that made their way to the plateau. It was all that sickly shade of green that everything was in the Black Garden. 

"I think we've found the Black Garden's heart," GARCIA said her voice a whisper like she was scared of waking something. "There is something like really, really dark down below."

"Then we will kill it," Aaron said. 

"Or it will kill us," GARCIA said. 

Spencer and Aaron turned at one to look at their Ghosts. Both of them seemed to be trembling with fear. Spencer knew that she had every single right to be scared, but it was still strange to see it. GARCIA was a machine, but her AI was robust. She felt emotions. Spencer would hate for her to die that final death, not just because it would mean that he would die as well but because she was a marvel. 

"What kind of plants are those?" Aaron asked. 

"I have no idea," Spencer and GARCIA said at the same time. 

The beacon that they were using to get where they were going was pointing to the right, down into the Garden itself. Spencer stepped up to the edge and looked down. Even with Aaron's triple jump and Spencer's blink, he didn't see a safe way down that way. He turned to where the beacon was and realized that it was leading them to the area where he had seen red on his trek across that last open room they had been in. 

"Ready?" Aaron asked.

"Yes." Spencer didn't need to ask Aaron if he was ready. 

Carefully they made their way across the front of the cliff they were on and then down into the area. 

"Hobgoblins," GARCIA said. 

Spencer looked around for sniper points and found them. 

"I've got them," Aaron said, and he started to crouch to get his Sniper Rifle setup. Spencer swapped to his Pulse Rifle. He had no clue what was going to be attacking them, and he would rather have the second and third shots as a backup in case he aims too low. GARCIA had packed the most of Scout Rifle ammo, but then they both used one. Sidearm ammo was plenty, as was Aaron's Hand Cannon. Aaron's Sniper Rifle had the least, but then SNiper ammo was harder to get released. Spencer's Pulse Rifle had enough ammo that Spencer wasn't that worried about using it up. 

The area was a large alcove with many spots for hidden enemies. Spencer left Aaron at the top, to take care of the edge threats when they popped up while he worked on the enemies that pop in and out of cover in the middle. Spencer could tell that the Vex were not prepared for them to make it as far as they did. The machines were shocked and unready for a fight. It didn't take long though for them to get their act together and right like the well-oiled machines that they were. 

Spencer moved from the opening in the alcove toward the back. Taking out what he could find. He heard the sound of more Vex spawning and looked around only to have a Cyclops nearly take him out. 

"AARON!" Spencer yelled as he ran backward, getting out of its line of fire. It was just a few seconds before Spencer heard Aaron's SNiper Rifle go off. The Cyclops started to freak out, firing anywhere and everywhere. It allowed Spencer to begin to peck at its eye with his Pulse Rifle. He grinned as it began to recover, and then another shot went off from Aaron, and it was exploding. 

More Goblins appeared all around Spencer, and he drew his knives to take care of them, slinging his gun over his shoulder. He took care of the GOblins quickly before starting to look around for what was next. There were some more Goblins in the corner of the alcove. Spencer heard the sound of Aaron breathing a little harder over the comms, and it told him that his lover was moving. There was no place for Aaron to go that would protect Spencer, so Aaron joined him before they started into the tunnel there in the corner that was full of Goblins. 

When those Goblins were done, and Spencer took a few steps deeper into the tunnel more Vex spawned, but he saw that it was massive. It was a Hydra, but it wasn't a normal one. 

"That's a Major Hydra. The Divisive Mind," GARCIA said. 

"I want you to stay here, Spencer," Aaron said as he stretched out on his stomach on the ground to set up a better sniping position. Spencer didn't fight it but switched to his Scout Rifle to help Aaron take it out. 

Goblins spawned in after a few shots and Spencer changed to working on them while Aaron waited for the Hydra's shield to spin to allow him a shot. It took longer than Spencer would have wanted, but Aaron finally got a few good shots, and the Hydra exploded. Spencer waited for Aaron to get up and get his Sniper Rifle slung over his shoulder before he set off towards where more Goblins were spawning in. There was a massive force field just beyond the Goblins. 

"I think the Vex are powering it themselves," GARCIA said.

"Then it's time to kill them," Aaron said. 

The Goblins were easy to take out between the two of them and their Rifles, and as they destroyed the last Goblin with a shot to the juicebox each, the barrier went down. DOwn further into the ruins, they were in they went and when they saw the pale green sky again, the surprised three Goblins. Dispatching them was easy, and then they were looking at the plateau in the Garden. 

Spencer stepped up to the edge of the area in front of them to see that there were safe ways down and Vex beyond that. Jumping down, Spencer waited for the thump of Aaron making it down before he moved forward. There was just a long path made of raised stone that took them where the Vex wanted them to go but it as also getting them closer to the center of the Garden, so Spencer was all for it. 

Minotaurs were getting old to Spencer. It was usually Goblins and Harpies that were cannon fodder, but it seemed that to try and stop Spencer and Aaron the Vex were willing to destroy many Minotaurs to do it. Taking out the squad was easy, and it felt so damned repetitive to Spencer, but he was sure that he was going to face many like it again.

After that it was deeper down and inward they went. Spencer frowned at where they were going but said nothing. It was familiar. Some of it was. It was like a dream. Spencer stopped walking and found that the more he concentrated on it all, the more that it slipped away. 

"Spencer?" Aaron asked. 

"I've been here before, or I've dreamt it."

"Well, what do you remember?"

"Nothing concrete. It's all like a dream." Spencer closed his eyes, and he felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time. Spencer looked around but all he saw was there they were when he opened his eyes again. There was a scent in the air though. It was something that he should know, but his mind was stopping him. "It's gone."

"Well, just keep me apprised," Aaron said. 

The pair made their way through more of the ruins. Back outside they went, and there were more Vex. A few more obstacles that blocked their sight and then they were stepping out into a large open pavilion like area. Spencer saw at the other end of it a Gate. That was how they had to get to where they could do damage in the Garden, Spencer bet. 

"Is this a dead end?" Aaron asked as he looked around. 

Spencer could see his critical eye taking it all in. He was seeing what Aaron was as well. There was no way out of where they were except for through the Gate that wasn't active yet. 

"You know this won't be the last fight, we have whatever is on the other side, and it's not going to be easy." Spencer looked at Aaron. 

"It's gonna be a hell of a fight," GARCIA said. 

"But a good one." 

"The heart is just beyond here. This place is just one big machine if you get me close enough to the clusters I might be able to do something to get us through the door."

"We can do that." Spencer checked his gun and looked at Aaron with a grin on his face. 

Wiping out the Vex around the Gate took time, and it was time that put Spencer more edge with every single second that passed. When there was a clear path to both sides, Spencer took the longer route, blinking from jutting stone to jutting stone. 

GARCIA appeared and started to scan them while more Vex appeared to try and stop them. Spencer began to pick them off as soon as they were corporeal enough for it. 

"I can manipulate them."

"Encryption?" Spencer asked. 

"Manifold and I just need to break through." GARCIA scanned it again. "That did it!"

"I see that your other part has broken through as well."

"That's the good thing about sharing information, makes things a lot quicker."

"It's working!" GARCIA yelled as an obelisk of light began to form in the center of the pavilion. It was shaped like a rectangle. "A Spire is forming."

"Let's see if it actually worked," Aaron said. As they approached it, the plateau disappeared and in its place was a Spire. There as a conflux on the side and GARCIA floated over to it to activate it. 

"All we need is permission to enter...as a Gate Lord."

Before Spencer could ask for the Eye, a grid of light appeared, and it looked to be in the shape of a door. Spencer took a step toward it, and it shot up in the air. The door broke into pieces with nothing causing it, a circle remained whole, but the rest was floating below. The Spire shot a bolt of light out, and it hit the circle, the circle seemed to absorb the light from the Spire before it shot down to all the smaller pieces. 

"The Heart of the Black Garden," GARCIA said. 

The light in the pieces reflected back into the door. The door started to move, it's sections moving back before the whole bottom half opened so that they could enter. 

"Well, here goes nothing..." Spencer said, trailing off at the end as Aaron took the first step toward the door. "Or everything."

On the other side of the door, Spencer could see the Heart. It was dark and massive and looked almost like a living black smoke contained by a three-quarter circle. 

"Ready?" Aaron asked. 

"Yes." 

Spencer started into the room. The room was unlike anything that Spencer had ever seen before. It was closed off to everything outside of it. There was the full brunt of Darkness washing over Spencer. He could feel his light struggling against it. Three statues were standing in a semicircle around the swirling black mass that was the heart. Arms held in a shape that reminded Spencer of wings on the statue were facing the black mass. Spencer realized that the statues were Gate Lords. 

As Spencer got closer, he realized that there were Goblins and Hobgoblins kneeling in front of the black mass. As one they all started to move and turned to face Spencer and Aaron. Readying themselves for the fight of their lives, Spencer gripped his Scout Rifle tightly. 

"So..." GARCIA started pausing after her first word. "Think you can kill a God?" 

"I don't think that we have a choice."

Spencer's eyes were drawn to the black mass, what he assumed was the actual heart of the Black Garden. Electricity pulses within the mass. Then one of the pulses within the mass started to venture out, and Spencer watched as it enveloped one of the statues. 

"It's a Coliseum, it's probably where the Greeks got their idea for the ones that they had. This is a fighting arena."

"Then let's fight." Aaron dropped down into the main area and looked around for a safe place to hide. There were two that could stop the Gate Lord from attacking them outright but wouldn't stop the smaller Vex. "I'll take the left."

"I've got the right." Spencer followed Aaron down and went that way, killing a Goblin that teleported right into the spot in front of him as he pulled out of his crouch. Spencer eyed the statue that had been wrapped in the electricity of the Heart, but there was nothing going on with it. 

Clean up of the Goblins and Hobgoblins took little time. As Aaron gutted the last with his knife, Spencer looked to the heart. Another bolt of electricity came out of the Heart and wrapped around the statue on the left. The stand the statue was on started to spin and lower. 

"I think the Heart is bringing that statue to life!" GARCIA yelled into the comms. 

"Sol Progeny, Eschaton Mind," Spencer said not knowing where the words were coming from. He didn't know how he knew that just that he did. He blamed his dreams. 

"Dead progeny soon," Aaron said as he drew his Sniper Rifle. He didn't crouch like he usually did but stayed up. 

Spencer distracted the Mind as Aaron got his shot lined up. Aaron fired twice in a row, both hitting the Mind in the juicebox. It turned to look for Aaron and started to use it's Torch Hammer to try and get a good shot at Aaron inside of the cranny he was in. Spencer swapped to his Pulse Rifle and started to fire to get the Mind's attention again. Just as it turned to him, more GOblins and Hobgoblins appeared. Spencer began to shoot at them while ducking back under his own little hiding area. Spencer heard the sound of Aaron's Sniper Rifle going off two more times. The firing at Spencer stopped. 

Back and forth like that, they went until Spencer heard the Mind's death cry. Spencer popped out to mop up the GOblins that were left. 

"The Heart is dying!" GARCIA cried out as she appeared just at Spencer's head to the right. It afforded her a little more protection on that side. "Keep fighting!"

"What did you think we were going to do, GARCIA? Stop?" Aaron asked. 

Spencer laughed a little, and it eased some tension in him. The fight was only going to get harder from there. The Heart sent out another pulse, and Spencer watched as the next Gate Lord was revived. 

"Imminent Mind," Spencer whispered. 

"When we are done, you are telling me how you know that," Aaron said. His voice was soft and caring, despite the fight that was getting ready to start. Spencer knew that Aaron accepted a lot of things on faith from him, but he hoped that he never disappointed Aaron. He never wanted that. 

More Vex spawned in. Goblins and Hobgoblins again. Spencer wondered why nothing else had spawned in yet. Spencer and Aaron worked on mopping up most of them before they went back to what they had done the time before. Swapping who had the Mind's attention. It was easy, and yet it was tiring. Spencer had to continually move unless he was waiting for his shield to regenerate. If it was, he was hiding and had no line of sight on anything that he needed to kill, which was good for his shield but bad for everything else. 

The Imminent Mind went down much like his brethren, and Spencer pulled more ammo from GARCIA. 

"Hotch hs pulled the last of his Sniper ammo. This is the last of all of the ammo actually," GARCIA said. 

"Then I guess I'll have to make do with this," Spencer said as he pulled his sword. It would do good to mop up the small stuff while Aaron focused on the eye. Spender looked at the last statue to see that it had spun around and was breaking off the bits of stone that encased it. 

"Hotch can only miss once on the Sniper ammo, and otherwise he'll have enough to take out the last Mind."

"Quit telling tales," Aaron said, but his tone was full of smiles. "Which one is this?"

"Primeval Mind." 

Spencer gasped as no Goblins or Hobgoblins appeared around it but Minotaurs and Harpies. Spencer looked where Aaron was to see that he had gone still. That changed things. They needed the Minotaurs out of there before Aaron could really set up to take his shots. 

"Stay back here, GARCIA. I'm going to kill things."

"Don't die, please don't lie."

"That's why you are staying back. If I die, wait for Aaron to draw fire and revive me. Tell your other part to do the same. Stay back. Hide under the walkway here and up toward the top."

"Okay." GARCIA sounded sullen. Spencer pulled her close and bumped his forehead against her body. 

"I'll be fine. As long as you live, I'll be fine." 

The first shot from a Minotaur went wide. The next grazed Spencer's shield, but in that time he took out three Harpies. Spencer charged at the Minotaur firing at him and shoved his sword straight into the juice box on its gut. It started to spark and freak out, and then all of the electronics in it shorted out. Spencer tugged his sword free and hide in the shelter that it's crumbling body made. The Mind was focused solely on Spencer. He could hear and feel the blasts from it. After two shots from Aaron, Spencer took off running for shelter again. There was another Minotaur and a few more Harpies that were aiming at Aaron. Spencer waited for his shield to regenerate before he rushed toward the Harpies. They turned to focus on him. 

Spencer's shield dropped and before he could do a single thing he felt another blast rock him and he knew nothing else. 

Awareness came back an undetermined time later, Spencer knew that he had died. He looked around before running back to his cover. GARCIA was floating above him where he had told her to stay. 

"Hotch switched to his Scout Rifle and ran it out of ammo. He missed on both of those first two shots, so he's going to take the Gate Lord down as much as possible before switching to his Hand Cannon. He doesn't have much ammo left on it either. 

"We will make do."

Two shots ran out, and Spencer heard more Vex spawning in. It was a race against time. A race to see if they ran out of ammo before killing the last Gate Lord. 

"Guardian down," Spencer heard GARCIA say. He looked over to see that a new Minotaur had snuck up on Aaron from behind. Spencer ran across the divide between the two areas and tossed his grenade to drop the Minotaur's shield before he rammed it with his sword. Spencer didn't even wait for the body to crumple, he turned and sprinted for the far side. When he was out, he ran up the ramp that led to the catwalk above where Aaron was. 

"Hey, asshole!" Spencer yelled to get the Gate Lord's attention. When it turned to face him, raising it's Torch Hammer to shoot at him. Spencer ran, going as hard and as fast as he could. He hit the edge, jumped, and blinked to where he was ramming his Nova Bomb right into the gut of the Primeval Mind. Spencer slammed into his own Nova Bomb seconds later and fell to the ground a little dazed. He heard three loud shots right after that and looked up to see the flaming discharges from Aaron's Golden Gun slam into the Mind. Spencer scrambled back as the Gate Lord started to crumble and die from their combined supers. Spencer felt Aaron grab the back of his armor and drag him the rest of the way to safety. From the edge of the circle in the fighting area, Spencer looked up to see the Heart starting to arc lighting off it's swirling black mass. It looked like it was imploding and just as it began to give off white light, Spencer covered his eyes. He felt the heat from the blast of the Heart exploding, and when it was gone, he opened his eyes. The world was green again. The sickly green that Spencer had got used to inside of the Garden. 

"Where are we?" Aaron asked as he stood up. He reached down to grab Spencer's hand and haul him up. It was silent where they were. No sound at all. 

"We are back on Mars. The shroud of Darkness is lifting." GARCIA started to bob and weave around the both of them, both parts crying out in happiness. "Oh, I'm getting a report from the Tower. The LIght is returning to the Traveler!"

"That's good," Spencer said. 

"The Speaker is calling us home," GARCIA said next. 

"That might be less good," Aaron said dryly. 

"He can't yell at us for saving the Traveler!" Spencer said. 

"Yes, technically he can. We didn't ask permission to do this, and we went in alone. Zavala is going to have our hide."

"Eh, Cayde will piss him off, and Ikora will unruffle their feathers."

"Let's go home," GARCIA said. 

"Yes, let's."

Spencer barely remembered the Galliot coming and getting them from where they were. He just remembered feeling a difference in the LIght that infused his body. There was nothing concrete in Spencer's memory until he saw the Traveler again, fully not just a speck of visual in the distance. There was something wholly different about it. 

"Holliday wants us to drop off in the hanger for once. I guess there is a lot of Guardians who are blocking the normal drop location to see the Vanguard."

"Okay," Spencer said, and he set in that course. What no one knew wouldn't hurt them as Spencer had taken over all of the flying in the ship and GARCIA only relayed orders. Spencer did a flyby to see that there were a lot of people on the deck where everyone usually met. 

"I'll pipe in the speech," GARCIA said. 

Spencer looked and saw the Speaker on the balcony outside of the Traveler's Walk. He smiled. It looked like he was getting ready to give a speech.

"For centuries, we fear the forces of Darkness massing against us. We sought to hide and cower beneath a broken God. No more. These Guardians show us what we are, what we have always been, and what we will be again. We are what remains of the light..." 

Spencer listened as he set the ship down inside of the hanger. Once they were docked, they transmatted outside of it. Spencer saw the Exo Stranger standing at the end of the hanger. 

"And we will not be stamped out," The Speaker finished. 

Spencer looked at Aaron and nodded toward where the Exo Stranger was. Aaron nodded. They started to walk toward her. 

"It's a pretty day for medals and speeches." The Exo Stranger didn't turn to look at them. "But we know the real fight takes place out there." The Exo Stranger nodded her head towards the stars. Her eyes though never left the Traveler. Spencer looked out at it as well. 

Spencer was startled when she lifted up her weapon by the barrel and handed it over. 

"Take this," she said as Spencer grabbed it. 

Spencer started to look the gun over. It was a Pulse Rifle. Spencer compared it to his own and found his own lacking, but then it was just things that were laying around. This looked modified and loved. 

"This has been exposed to incredible forces," GARCIA whispered in Spencer's ear through the comms. "Parts of it shouldn't even exist yet."

"Interesting," Spencer said. He took off one of his gloves and touched a strange marking on the rifle. He knew it. He looked up to see that it was the same as what was on the Stranger's cloak and her forehead. 

"There is so much more, Guardian. I've seen terrible things born out of the Darkness. Every moment brings them closer. All ends are beginnings." The Stranger stepped forward on the platform. "Our fight is far from over." The Stranger jumped down off the platform, and when Spencer rushed to the edge, he saw her dissipate into blue-white energy. 

"Elsie," Spencer said. 

"What?" Aaron asked. 

Spencer raised up the gun again and looked at it. He looked at the marking that had been scratched onto it and found that there was a detailed section that was the stupid drawing that Ana always put onto her papers when she wanted Spencer to read them. Spencer had started to draw something back, and it was there as well. 

"That was Elsie."

"I thought Elsie was human."

"All Exos used to be human." 

Spencer's mind was racing as he tried to figure out how in the hell Elsie had become an Exo and had become what she was. How had she gone so forward in time that her gun had things on it that didn't exist yet but also be where she was? Time travel still wasn't an option, not to humans. Elsie seemed to know a lot about the Vex, so maybe that was where she had found it. After the Collapse, it would have been easy for her to hide away and study them. If she had made herself into an Exo after that, she had hundreds of years to become what she was and to study them before she started to hop time. 

"Did she know who you were?"

"I have no idea, it sure didn't seem like it." Spencer looked where she had disappeared from. She had good control of Vex technology, and she showed it well. Spencer wondered though what had made her choose him. She had been watching him since he had been revived, but unless she knew that it was him that had died where he had, there was a reason to think that she did. There were so many questions that he was not going to get answers about unless he ran into her again. 

Spencer stepped back from the edge, and he was glad he did as seconds later something ran into the back of his legs, pushing between them. Spencer looked down to see that it was Luna. Spencer reached down to scratch at her head and looked at Aaron to see that Helo was there. 

"I think that they missed us," Aaron said. 

"Who took care of them?" Spencer was a little appalled at himself for forgetting about them. 

"Saladin takes care of both of them when we are missions, you know that. He obviously took care of them. They look like they have been fighting."

"FIghting?"

"You saw them take out Dregs, Spencer. They are war dogs of sorts."

"I know that Guardians train in the Crucible, but that would be impossible for the two of them because they can't be revived."

"No, but they can fight in some of the holo rooms. Saladin doesn't use them as much anymore because there is no need with the fact that we can be revived. Let's go and get a good shower in," Aaron said as he straightened up from giving Helo love. 

"Sure," Spencer said. As soon as Aaron had said the word shower, Spencer's skin started to crawl. It was now maddening as he looked at the ship. Holliday was already crawling all over it. 

"Zavala left word that the Vanguard would like to talk to us as soon as we feel human. At least he's not demanding that we go now. It's nice to get to be human for a while."

Spencer trusted that GARCIA would get their gear out of the ship and to who it needed to go to for cleaning and repair. Spencer was sure that there was more sand in the parts of the guns than what they wanted. Field maintenance was different than full-on cleaning. Spencer followed behind Aaron with Helo leading the way and Luna taking up the back, like they were protecting their pack. Spencer was kind of glad of it because it kept most Guardians from talking to them. Those few that did didn't look to upset about the fact that the two of them weren't talking to them. Spencer was pretty sure that most of that was the fact that they still had their helmets on. Spencer didn't want to take it off until they were in their rooms. 

The door to their room opened up, and Spencer watched as neither GARCIA actually floated into there but instead just hovered as Helo and Aaron went inside. 

"We are going in for cleaning and some light maintenance with our sisters," Spencer's GARCIA said. 

"Good. That's good. Spa day, that's what you call it right?" Spencer asked. 

"Yes." GARCIA floated close to where she could brush against Spencer's face before she drifted away. Inside the room, Aaron was already half undressed while Helo was on Spencer's bed. It looked like it was where the both of them had been sleeping. Spencer took off his helmet as the door shut and Luna rushed to join Helo on the bed. Spencer walked over to the door between rooms to see that Aaron's bed had been swapped out for a bigger bed. It was the bigger of the rooms. Spencer looked around his room and saw that his things were not there. Dropping his helmet to the floor, he walked into Aaron's room to see that it was a mesh of the two of them. 

"Looks like our teammates moved us in together and gave your room to the wolves," Aaron said as he leaned against the door between the rooms with a smile on his face and only a pair of underwear on his body. 

"Looks like. The wolves look like they are enjoying it." 

"Yes." Aaron started to walk toward Spencer, his hands coming up. Spencer stood there as Aaron began to strip him. His armor was tossed onto a table and his clothes into the bin that was used for dirty clothes. The first touch of Aaron's hands on Spencer's naked skin had Spencer's body sagging in relief. He hadn't let the thought of losing Aaron go through his head because if he had, it would have distracted him. He wasn't the happiest that he could lose Aaron. Spencer had lost too many people already. Finding his siblings didn't negate that. 

Aaron cupped the sides of Spencer's face but didn't move any closer for a kiss. He just stared into Spencer's eyes before turning them and backing Spencer towards the bathroom. Aaron gasped, and Spencer tried to turn his head, but Aaron didn't let him. Spencer had to dart his eyes left and right as he was backed into the shower cubicle. The room was different, but he wasn't sure exactly what was different other than his things were in there. That was until he was fully backed into the shower and saw that it was bigger. Much bigger. 

"Looks like Morgan was bored," Spencer said. 

"Morgan?"

"He does that kind of stuff. Something to do with his life as a human as an architect or something like that. His memories of that are very blurry, but he likes to remodel things. He's gotten really good at it for downtime between missions. It quiets his mind he says."

"That's enough about Morgan."

"You know that there is probably a seven machine orgy going on in his room right now right?" Spencer asked with a grin. If Aaron weren't going to kiss him on his own, Spencer would make Aaron kiss him just to shut him up. 

"I think you get a perverse pleasure in making me think about that shit." Aaron pushed Spencer against the cold tile of the shower wall, and when Spencer gasped, Aaron covered his lips with his own. Spencer grabbed Aaron's hips, shoving his underwear down and waiting for Aaron to kick them away before Spencer pulled Aaron's body the rest of the way in. Spencer felt one of Aaron's hands leave his face and he waited for it to touch him, but instead, Aaron pulled back and turned the water on. It was cold for a few seconds, the water in the pipes taking on the room temperature of the bathroom. 

"Fucker," Spencer gasped as he tried to get out of the water spray. 

"Payback, Spencer. Quit making me picture Morgan and GARCIA interfacing, please." Aaron grabbed one of the clothes used for cleaning and started to rub as much of the sweat and grime off of his body before he grabbed the soap. Spencer grabbed a cloth as well. WAshing each other was nice, but it tended to make the showers longer than needed and right at the moment, Spencer wanted to just wash off and sleep. 

The water that ran off of them was tinted red, and thankfully it wasn't from blood. The only time that Aaron helped Spencer was with his hair. While Spencer was washing his face, Aaron was doing his hair, putting shampoo in it twice to make sure that all of Mars was off of it. The shower on the Ceres was nice, but this was very different. This was much better, but he liked the ease of the other.

When they were done, and Spencer was washing the last of the soap off of his body, Aaron grabbed Spencer's hands and pressed them into the wall above his head. Spencer felt Aaron's hard cock press into the crevice of his ass cheeks. Aaron kissed down Spencer' neck before he scraped his teeth across his shoulder. Spencer spread his legs in invitation. 

Aaron's fingers replaced his cock, coated with slick. They pressed between his cheeks and then inside of him. Spencer shivered as the water turned off and Aaron was quick and dirty with slicking him up before his cock was pressing in. Aaron wrapped an arm around Spencer's waist to pull his hips back to where he could get a better angle of penetration. Aaron's other hand kept Spencer's pressed into the wall above his head. Spencer tried to wiggle them free as Aaron fucked into him but he wasn't able to without possibly making them fall over or hurting Aaron, and that wasn't something that he was willing to do. 

After a few more thrusts, Aaron pulled out, and Spencer groaned in unhappiness right until Aaron released his hands, but his happiness at that was short lived. Aaron turned him around and grabbed Spencer's hips, lifting him up. Spencer wrapped his legs around Aaron's waist and arched his back to where Aaron could guide himself back inside. When Aaron was back inside of him, Spencer wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Aaron was harder with that position. Thrusting into Spencer for all that he was worth. Spencer knew that this was a reformation that they were both alive. 

Orgasm rushed over Spencer like a gentle wave, Aaron thrusting through it, making Spencer cry out in too much pleasure but he could take whatever Aaron gave him. Whatever Aaron needed, he would get. Aaron groaned, and Spencer felt him sink to Spencer, spent in more than one way. They stayed like that, pressed into the wall and wrapped around each other until Spencer felt Aaron's body start to shake. Spencer gently wrapped his legs from around Aaron and began to take his own weight onto them. Aaron's hands let go of Spencer and turned the water back on. They needed to rinse off some, getting the mess they made off their bodies before collapsing in sleep. Aaron didn't stray far from Spencer, even when they dressed in clothes to sleep in. Aaron was never far enough to where he couldn't just barely reach out his hand and brush Spencer. 

Spencer was the first into the bed, and he dropped down and rolled to face the wall. Aaron dropped seconds later and wrapped himself around Spencer. Spencer just wanted to sleep for days, but he knew that it wouldn't be possible.

* * *

"Sorry," a voice said, and it took a few seconds for Spencer to place it as GARCIA. 

"GARCIA?" Aaron asked.

"The rest of the team wants to talk to you before you go and see the Vanguard and breakfast is about to stop being served.

"Breakfast? GARCIA we didn't get a lot of sleep." Spencer felt like tossing a pillow at the Ghost as he spoke but that would be mean, and GARCIA kept him alive, so it was wrong to be mean to her. 

"Actually, you've been asleep for over twenty-four hours. Everyone let you sleep through the day before." 

"Give us time to get dressed and then we can join the team at breakfast."

Spencer grumbled the entire time that he was getting dressed. He hadn't thought that he would sleep that long. In fact, he had assumed he would be up in a few hours, but he thought that maybe it was being where he was calling home with Aaron wrapped around him that kept him in bed longer than he usually would be. 

The team was all seated around a table in the corner of a cleared out mess kitchen. It was the normal one that Aaron and Spencer ate breakfast in after their morning runs. Spencer stopped and piled two plates with food while Aaron got the coffee for the both of them. There were enough potatoes to satisfy both of them and maybe enough bacon. Spencer made sure to get some fruit as well as some eggs for the both of them. The worker running the food didn't seem upset about how much Spencer was taking. 

"I can make more if you need it, Guardian Reid," the worker said with a sort of smile on his Exo face. 

"Thanks." Spencer looked out to see that there was evidence of where others had been in there but had left. Spencer wondered if the rest of the team had talked them into leaving early. 

"Your meeting later is going to go not well. Zavala is pissed, and Cayde-6 and Ikora Rey are not doing well at keeping him calm," Morgan started. 

"I can handle Zavala," Aaron said back to him. 

"So what was it like?" JJ asked Spencer. 

Spencer felt his tablet vibrate where he had it resting on his thigh. He vowed to check it later. 

From then on it was talking about everything that had happened since they had last seen them. Aaron left out the parts about who the Stranger really was as well as everything about Spencer's family. 

The lot of them stayed there until other Guardians started to arrive for lunch. When that happened, everyone else started to leave. Prentiss stayed though. She was looking at Spencer and Aaron like she was trying to figure them out. 

Spencer lifted up his tablet and looked at it. He frowned. It had the family encryption, and that could only mean it came from Mara or Uldren. Spencer opened it up and found that it was a note from Mara. 

_Spencer, I have encrypted this to open up on your tablet when you get close to my spy. Do no fear her as all I have her do is report to me when Vanguard interests might have an issue with Awoken interests. I reveal her to you now so that you know that you have someone to get information back to me in a safe manner._

"So Reid, Hotch how exactly did you get the crown jewel of Awoken ships?" 

"How do you think we did it?" Spencer asked. He stood up and grabbed Aaron's arm to pull him along with him. Aaron was giving him a funny look, but Prentiss followed them. They walked all the way back to their rooms, and Spencer waited for Prentiss to get in there. 

"How did you know that it was the crown jewel of Awoken ships?" Aaron asked.

"She as there when it was being built. And she has constant contact at all times with Mara Sov."

"How the hell do you know that?" Prentiss asked.

"I was sent a communique by her that sent as soon as I got close to you. Mara is the one that outed you. Though I have wondered since we were welcomed in the Reef." Spencer settled into the chair in the wolves' room and looked at Prentiss. He settled his tablet onto the table and pulled one of his knives. Spencer saw Aaron's eyes widen. Aaron hadn't even realized that he had been wearing them. Spencer motioned for Prentiss to sit down. "What kind of oaths did the Queen make you pledge to her?"

"As you know a few number of Awoken leave the Reef, most are drawn here. I died, and GARCIA brought me back. When I came back, I sent word to the Queen as I had been a good hunter of information on Cabal before my death. I followed my parents here because I couldn't stand to be away from them. She asked me to come back and sent a ship for me. I went and talked to her. She only made me promise to look after our people and to always do the bidding of the three Sov siblings. Which I always found interesting because there was only ever the Queen and her brother Uldren."

"Back when the Awoken were just being created, there were three siblings, but one of them was lost to time. The Ceres Galliot was made for him and given to him. Mara and Uldren Sov used to be Moira and Uilliam Reid. Mara is my twin sister." 

"Holy fuck," Prentiss said as she sat down in a chair. She picked up the knife and looked at it. "This is exactly like the Queens."

"Six made at the same time, the handle was handmade by Uldren." Spencer reached forward and plucked it from Prentiss's hands before slipping it back into its sheath. "So now the cards are on the table. You have two options."

"Keep my mouth shut or tell the Vanguard. I will be keeping my mouth shut. They don't know need to know anything more about the Reef than what they have learned from the few Awoken who had spoken a few things."

"Mara told me that they were always told what to tell. Know thy enemy through the enemy part isn't exactly true. Mara and Uldren thought that the Warlords or someone else who cropped up in the time after the Collapse had killed me and took information. It was why they changed their name. To make sure that no one could come after them. Humanity floundered a little more than they thought they were going to. Humanity didn't become a threat until recently."

"Snakes in the den and no one knows it."

"I'm sure that we are not snakes," Spencer said. He looked at Aaron. "I have no interest in going against the Vanguard as long as they go after the Darkness and not the Awoken. Do you?"

"No."

"How did they not know that Spencer was alive?" Aaron asked. 

"Because I don't use names in any of my reports. I just mentioned that two new people joined us. I don't do visuals either. I don't think that the Vanguard would like to know that you have ties to someone who isn't the Vanguard." 

"Just as when I first came here I only care about my people. Now my people encompasses more than the Reef. I won't harm them unless they harm Aaron or me first." 

"Can I see inside of her?" Prentiss asked. 

"Sure. Holliday can let you look. Holliday is having a heyday with it. I think she might have come in her pants when she saw it after the speech, according to the message that I got from her. She is afraid to touch it. Mara sent plans, can you take them to her?" Spencer handed over the data chip that had everything that Holliday needed to keep the ship running. 

Prentiss took it and nodded before she left the room. Spencer looked at Aaron. 

"I never, well I haven't known her that long really but damn. A spy in the ranks. It's good that I know that Mara and Uldren won't attack unless something big happens."

"This is getting complicated, and we still need to talk to the Vanguard." Spencer shoved himself up from his chair and looked at Aaron. "Are you ready for that?"

"As I'll ever be. As always, let me do the talking." Aaron pulled Spencer in a for a kiss. 

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on Facebook, [here](https://www.facebook.com/darkjediqueen) & my writing page is [here](https://www.facebook.com/darkjediqueenlair). 
> 
> Sign-ups for authors and artists have begun for Every Fandom Big Bang, which accepts pairings from any fandom! Our motto is "Your fandom fits our bang!" The story minimum word count is only 5K with no max. For more information or to sign up go to [Every Fandom Big Bang](https://everyfandombangs.wordpress.com) on WordPress. Stories can be posted here. So, if you don't have a WordPress account it's not a big deal.


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